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Solomon addresses himself as “the Preacher”. He is the one that will proclaim the spritiual truths of God to those in his nation and to Christians throughout time.

Keep in mind, Solomon learned these truths by trying to find the meaning to life through experiencing all this world has to offer. Solomon was uniquely suited to learn these lessons and share these truths with the people of God…

First of all, very few men possess sufficient wealth and power to be able to sample all this world has to offer (1 Kings 10:23).

Secondly, only Solomon and a few others throughout time, have been universally respected causing his teachings to be taken very seriously and thoughtfully by all (1 Kings 4:30-34). (Keep in mind, even Christ Himself and His teachings were rejected by many of those around Him.)

Solomon was God’s man, in God’s place, at God’s time, by God’s grace, to learn this most important truth and proclaim it with authority to those he loved. May we all listen carefully as Solomon reveals to us the true meaning to life and answer the question… “What Is Our Life If Not Lived for The Lord ?”.

TODAY’S TEXT:

Eccl 10:20 – Curse not the king, no not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL:

Curse not the king, no not in thy thought;

Solomon warns us to be very careful in wishing evil upon those who have been placed in authority over us. Not only in public, but even in our minds we should guard against standing against the rulers that the Lord has placed over us.

Folks, although we may not agree with a majority of what our leaders say and do, we should always give them our respect and the recognition that they have been placed over us by our Sovereign Lord.

curse not the rich in thy bedchamber:

Solomon even goes further and reminds us to not be envious and resentful of those who possess the riches of this world. Resentment leads to a desire for harm to fall upon those we resent. These things should not exist in the lives of Christians.

for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.

The other major point Solomon is addressing in this section of Scripture, is the need to recognize that what we do in secret, immediately, or eventually, will come out in public. Our sins truly will find us out. Even when we think our sin is being held in our minds and quiet places of solitude, somehow, someway, they will become public knowledge.

One of the most common ways that our “secret sins” are revealed finds its basis in ourselves. Even when we believe that we are keeping our feelings about others a secret, others can see our true desires in our attitudes and actions towards the resented person. What we believe is a well kept secret is, in actuality, a part of public knowledge die to our behavior around them.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION:

May we all take to heart the instructions shared with us by Solomon. May we learn to respect and honor our God-given authorities, remove all traces of resentment and anger from our lives, and learn that our secret, sinful, attitudes towards others will become public knowledge with the passing of time.

Solomon’s pursuit of the meaning of life included:

1.

2:1-3

The pursuit of carnal desires (the base pleasures found in a fallen world)